


Crumble

by dreamingunderthetstars



Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Supernatural, Cuddles, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 18:59:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6206728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingunderthetstars/pseuds/dreamingunderthetstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you think we'll always be together?" Nagisa asks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crumble

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Free! Or any of its’ recognizable characters. All rights reserved to its’ creator, Masahiro Yokotani. No copyright infringement intended. This is solely for entertainment purposes. 
> 
> So far, I’m planning on this being a one-shot. Obviously, it’s supernatural with my own twists and canon divergence. Throw canon out the window, barely anything will remain the same; everyone’s meeting one another earlier than canon, like elementary/middle school. Here’s a rundown of this AU I’ve created: 
> 
> \- Some humans are wolves – they’re born human but go through, what is called, the Inheritance, when they’re between the ages of 6 and 14.  
> \- It is impossible to predict if someone is going to present.  
> \- There are packs, as well as a complex culture and dynamic  
> \- There are Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics  
> \- Becoming a Wolf-Shifter (not werewolf) is seen as a sign of “good blood” and “fortune” 
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoy it! I do apologize, however, if I switch from present tense to past, it’s a habit of mine that I’m trying to fix but I don’t catch everything. Btw, I’m warning you now: I tried to make this as happy as I possibly could’ve but there had to be some sort of tragedy/conflict. I apologize in advance. Please don’t hurt me. 
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: I basically disregard anything from Free! Starting Days since I haven’t been able to watch any of the episodes; the only person that will be appearing is Kisumi.

Haruka’s world begins and ends the day he receives the ominous – to his mind, at least – Inheritance. He’s only seven. No one in the Nanase family has gone through the searing agony an Inheritance brings. Vaguely, he remembers shrieking. It’s loud enough to alert his parents of something being horribly wrong. Haruka can’t focus on the panicked words spewing out of his mothers’ mouth as she cradles his trembling body. He twists and turns and cries and screams.

“It’s okay,” his mother coos in his ear. Her voice is warm and soft, reminding Haruka of long wintry nights with hot chocolate. “Everything is going to be alright, Haruka.”

Haruka can barely make out his father frantically speaking with someone on the landline but all he can do is curl up into a ball as the agony settles heavy over his small, jerking limbs. A blank haze flows over him, and he loses consciousness as the rattling pain becomes too much for his small physique to handle. Haruka drifts in a haze of pain for a week as his Inheritance settles down to the white of his bone. The pain was surreal at times, and Haruka would wonder, blithely, if he would die from it. He’s never heard of someone dying from their Inheritance, but it was bound to happen sometimes. It was, most likely, one of those topics that adults were hush-hush about whenever smaller, curious ears were in proximity.

There are low voices coming from the kitchen, heavy with anticipation and sorrow, but Haruka doesn’t wander in that direction. It’s his parents and some of the adult neighbors enquiring about the situation with an unfamiliar male. He can hear some of the neighborhood children entertaining themselves in his backyard. He, slowly, ambles towards the bathroom. He wishes to see the changes before anyone else. He can feel another presence surrounding him – it was comfortable, humming and filled with warmth. There are few words that he is able to use in order to describe how he feels. Haruka stands on his stepping stool in front of the sink, blinking at his reflection. Poking out from the tips of his head were lupine-like ears. They flicked and moved with everything Haruka heard – which was a lot; he could hear the conversations going on in one of the small restaurants at the edge of his little town, and the low hum of cars on the highway.

Hesitantly, but gently, Haruka touches the new appendages atop his head. The fur – his fur, he supposes – is soft against his fingertips. His ears flick at the sensation, and Haruka smiles a bit at the sight it makes. He hands flop back to his sides. There isn’t much of a difference, really. He was still small – though, he was always little – and he still looked fragile. Something fuzzier, but still soft, brushes against his arm, and he blinks, peering at the tail that’s swishing from his backside. It’s odd, the ears and the tail, but Haruka doesn’t mind the oddness. The presence is wrapping around him, and it feels like a warm blanket against his skin.

 _“I’m going to check up on him,”_ his mother says suddenly, as she sets down her teacup on the table. _“Haruka is being too quiet.”_

Once he hears the chair scrape against the floor, Haruka exits the bathroom. The sun filters inside of the house, vibrant and cheerful. Haruka pauses, amazed at all the things he can see. Particles float in the air. He breathes in, too, noticing how he could smell the little bakery down the street. No wonder other wolf-shifters seem so ethereal and otherworldly – this new world he was in was _breathtaking._

“Oh!” his mother gasps when she swings into the hallway and spots him by the bathroom. Her eyes are glittering at the sight of his tail and ears. “Oh, Haruka…”

Haruka blinks at his mother, his face impassive, although his tail is swishing with a tad more enthusiasm at the sight of the woman. A soft voice whispers in the back of his mind, _mother. Pack. Safe. Home. Warm._ Haruka blinks twice at the voice before his mother wraps him in her arms. She’s soft and smells of cherry blossoms on a spring evening. He breaths her in, feeling his limbs relax in the embrace. His tail curls around him, almost like a third arm hugging him.

He’s led into the kitchen where the adults stare at him in awe. His nose twitches and burns slightly at all of the smells wrapping around him. His father smells the same as his mother, except he smells more of the woods surrounding Iwatobi. There’s an unfamiliar man sitting at the edge of the table, with sandy brown ears perched atop his head in a similar fashion to Haruka’s.

“Oh, Haruka, this is Sugiyama Ryuu,” his father introduced the male. “He’s a specialist from Tokyo. He’s a wolf, like you.”

Sugiyama smells of oranges and something else Haruka can’t name. The man seems kind enough as he kneels in front of him, smiling warmly. “Hello,” Sugiyama greets. “How are you feeling, Haruka-kun?”

“Weird,” Haruka answers after a moment of thought. “It’s weird.”

“It is,” Sugiyama agrees. “But you get used to it.”

“Ooh, ooh,” squealed a teen Haruka vaguely knows to be Kuronuma. “Do you know what Dynamic he is?”

The question sets off a flurry of others amidst excitement. Haruka can feel his ears flatten against his head – they’re too loud for his comfort. The small presence inside of him begins to snarl protectively. Sugiyama feels their loud as well, given by his flinch at the rising voices. “Please, calm down,” Sugiyama tells them. “I don’t know Haruka’s Dynamic since I’m not an Alpha. I’m a Beta. Haruka needs to be in close proximity of an Alpha for at least a day to know his Dynamic.”

“Should we have him know his Dynamic know?” his mother questions. “Will it be bad if he doesn’t know?”

Sugiyama shakes his head. “It’s fine. In fact, I’ve known a few wolves that haven’t had a specified Dynamic their entire lives. Although there are rare cases.”

“Cases?” his father asks.

“Cases in which the wolf-shifter in question knows their Dynamic even before being in the presence of an Alpha,” Sugiyama explains before turning his attention towards Haruka. “Well, Haruka-kun? Do you think you know what your Dynamic is?”

“What’s a Dynamic?” Haruka inquires softly. His teacher hadn’t really gone into depth about the culture of wolf-shifters yet. They had only gone over generic information – the Inheritance. Once Sugiyama explains what the Dynamics are, Haruka blinks. “How can I tell?”

“You ask your wolf,” Sugiyama tells him. “It’s a presence inside of you but it’s a part of you.” He gave a soft laugh. “I’m sorry – I’m not used to explaining this to those under ten years of age.”

“Is it bad that he went through the Inheritance so early?” a neighbor – the male Tachibana – asks.

Sugiyama shakes his head. “No, it’s actually seen as a sign of strength the earlier the age you inherit. I, myself, went through the Inheritance when I was eight.”

Exclamations rose, as well as more questions, but Haruka closed his eyes. He searches for the presence – his wolf – inside of him. It doesn’t take him long to locate the familiar voice. _Hi,_ Haruka whispers to his wolf. _What are we?_

His wolf is silent for a moment before whispers of, _wolf. Small. Little. Omega. Wolf._

Haruka opens his eyes to find everyone in the kitchen peering at him. He blinks and deadpans, “I’m an Omega.” He has no idea what being an Omega entails or, really, what it even _is_ but the kitchen bursts into cheers, laughter, and grins, and calls for the whole town to celebrate. _Too loud,_ his wolf grumbles. Haruka can’t help but agree.

He’s shooed towards the living room where some of the neighborhood children have wandered inside. They stare at him in awe and wonder. Haruka barely resists the urge to growl at them until they stop looking at him as if he were an interesting creature. He burrows himself against his sofa, wishing he could stop. Thankfully, a savior is found in his best, and only, friend, Tachibana Makoto.

“Stop staring at Haru-chan,” Makoto tells them in a firm voice. “You’re making him uncomfortable.”

Chastised, the curious eyes swivel towards one another and an asinine conversation babbles forth. Makoto plops down next to him with his kind smile and eyes.

“Are you alright, Haru-chan?” Makoto asks.                

“I’m fine,” Haruka tells him before adding, “Drop the –chan.”

“Your ears look so soft,” Makoto giggles quietly. “Can I…?”

Haruka shrugs but nods. Soon, however, he’s fighting strange sounds from his throat as Makoto gently rubs his ears, like one would do with a dog or cat. He realizes what he’s struggling against when a low rumble brews in his chest – purrs. Which was weird because cats purr, not wolves. Right? _Pack. Home. Makoto,_ his wolf mumbles contently. His best friend smells like warmth, and safety, and blueberries, and _home_.

* * *

 

He is nine when a storm plunders its’ way into his life in three sections—Hazuki Nagisa (an Omega with ears and a tail identical to his blonde hair that always flicker with excitement over the simplest of things), Ryūgazaki Rei (a controlled, perfectionist of a Beta with precisely trimmed ears and tail), and a boy (an _alpha,_ Haruka’s wolf whispers, with blood red ears and tail) named Matsuoka Rin. Makoto is still human but their group of friends ( _pack,_ murmurs his wolf) consist of Wolf-Shifters.

To be honest, Haruka isn’t even sure how he had managed to find himself in a fledgling pack. As their friendship cultivated and thrived through days at the Iwatobi Swimming Club, they became closer. Of course, thinking about it now, it wasn’t that weird for a bond to forge between them. Even Makoto felt the bonds humming around them, though he couldn’t feel it to the extent that the Wolf-Shifters could.

“Ne, ne, Haru-chan,” says Nagisa one day when the two Omegas are in his backyard, lying on the grass and peering up at the sky. Rei is studying at home, Makoto has to help his mother with his baby siblings, and Rin is out shopping with his mother and sister. Haruka’s parents are in the kitchen with his grandmother. Haruka was a little wary around the ancient woman, seeing as how this was the first time he’d met her.

Haruka glances at Nagisa, prompting the other Omega in their small pack to continue with his body language.

“Do you think we’ll always be together?” Nagisa questions. “All of us, I mean.”

“I don’t know,” Haruka murmurs because he wasn’t Makoto, he wasn’t Rin. He was himself, and that meant he was a realist. “Anything can happen.”

Nagisa doesn’t respond except to roll over on top Haruka, who promptly splutters at the warmth pressing him against the earth. A high pitched whine curls off of Nagisa’s tongue before Haruka sighs and wraps his arms around the younger Omega. The bond – pack bond, to be more specific – is fluttering and vibrant between them as they cuddle on the ground.

Sugiyama – now, perhaps, it’s Sugiyama- _sensei_ – spends his days drifting between his home and the guest room in Haruka’s house. Although his parents wished to pay the man for his kindness, seeing as how the Shifter was indulging his knowledge about wolves, packs, and everything there was to know about Wolf-Shifters free of charge, Sugiyama would always say to pay him with a place to sleep in.

“That’s enough payment for me,” Sugiyama would smile at them.

The man had recently taught Haruka the importance of touch in a pack. Physical affection made pack members (more specifically – _omegas_ ) thrive. Touch provided comfort and safety and balance. While it was probable for a Wolf-Shifter to survive by themselves, it was seen as more volatile, more risky, and the last thing anyone wanted was a feral wolf on their hands. Since Sugiyama himself wasn’t an Omega, he was trying his hardest to help Haruka – and by extension, Nagisa – understand and adapt to his wolf.

It’d only been three years since he went through the Inheritance.

Only three years had passed, and so much had already changed.

Snickers brought Haruka out of the lightly sleeping daze he found himself in. Nagisa was sleeping on his chest, snug and content, and the weight was comforting. He kept his eyes closed as sleep still crept at the edges of his mind. Using his sensitive, supernatural nose, Haruka manages to sniff out Rin and his little sister, Matsuoka Gou. While Rin smelled like a brewing storm of passion and cherry blossoms, Gou’s scent contained wisps of dreams and freshly baked cinnamon buns. Even though Gou wasn’t a Wolf-Shifter (though Haruka had a strong urge that she would go through her Inheritance sometime soon), she was pack just like Makoto.

It was a little puzzling to Haruka, how his small pack once contained family before branching off to contain all of his friends who were, admittedly, like a second family to him.

He peeks one eye open and grumbles, “What are you doing here?”

Rin snickers but Gou says primly, “We finished shopping so our mom is gossiping with yours in the kitchen. You two looked so adorable together, we couldn’t disturb you.”

“Had fun cuddling?” cajoles Rin.

Haruka resists the urge to growl at the redhead. True, Rin is still one of his best friends _but_ the boy is still his Alpha, regardless of their young age. Growling at the Alpha just wasn’t _done_.  Petulantly, however, Haruka does turn his head away from Rin pointedly. It causes another bout of snickers pouring out of Rin’s mouth as Gou chastises him for being insensitive.

Still laughing, Rin manages – somehow, because Gou is wearing a new, pretty summer dress with leggings – to drag them both into a cuddle pile on Haruka and Nagisa. Nagisa murmurs and shifts in his sleep but is still clinging to Haruka as if he were a human-sized koala bear. With Rin and Gou pressed against his sides, Haruka finds himself dozing off again, his head falling against Rin’s shoulder.

Haruka wakes up again to scent out two new additions – Makoto and Rei – in their little snuggle fest. Nagisa and Gou are playing some hand game softly, arguing with Rei over the rules of the game. Makoto is chatting with Rin about the upcoming race, and how they were going to do a relay. Somehow, as he had slept, Haruka had been shifted into Rin’s comforting arms. Nagisa was now draped over both Makoto and Rei, and Gou was sitting with her legs underneath her, her dress still prim and perfect despite the fact that she was laying in grass.

There’s a low steady stream of conversation inside of the adults, more voices pitching in than earlier. He can hear some sports game playing as his father, Makoto’s father, Rei’s father, and Nagisa’s father watch it. All of their mothers are in the kitchen, cooking supper, and chatting.

Rin notices his awakened state. “Morning, sleepy head.”

Haruka grumbles a stream of incomprehensible words. _Do you think we’ll always be together?_ Nagisa’s question drifts through his mind. I hope so, Haruka thought to himself, breathing in the scent of pack, and safety, and home surrounding him.

He hoped that this would never change.

A month later, Haruka walks inside of his house from another dragging day at school to find his home – his _territory_ – being invaded by a small boy with silver hair and blue eyes that look like the ocean. It takes another minute for Haruka to see that the stranger is a Wolf-Shifter and, given by the underlying sweet scent that’s attached to his own, and Nagisa’s, scent glands, the boy is also an Omega. Even though Haruka wants to feel territorial and possessive over a stranger invading his home, Haruka can’t dredge up the energy to care, much less growl.

He can smell on the skittishness of the stranger before him, mixing in with the scent of chlorine and mangoes. Haruka plops down next to the boy and greets bluntly, “Hello. I’m Nanase Haruka – who are you?”

“N-N-Nitori A-Aiichirō,” the Wolf-Shifter stammers in response. “I…I apologize for—,”

“I don’t care,” Haruka interrupts. “You smell horrible.”

Nitori blinks, drawing back before his face scrunches up with panic. “I-I’m s-s-sorry, N-Nanase-san!”

“Like sadness,” Haruka adds, a little guilty at making the smaller boy flail around like that.

Nitori blinks again. “What?”

“You smell like sadness,” Haruka reiterates. “Makes you smell horrible. Like spoiling mackerel.”

“Oh,” Nitori murmurs, and the scent wafting off the child grows stronger, as if the memories are still fresh. They probably are, Haruka thinks, eyeing the trembling frame. His parents are at work but his grandmother is cooking something delicious in the kitchen, talking to Sugiyama in soft tones that Haruka doesn’t bother eavesdropping. It’s rude and, also, Rin would be severely disappointed (he has a major thing about disrespecting privacy, even more so than Makoto).

The sharp tang gets too annoying for Haruka’s nose and before he knows what’s going on, Haruka finds himself cuddling with the other Omega. A strangled, surprised gasp escapes Nitori’s mouth as he finds himself unceremoniously draped over Haruka’s lap, with a nose sniffing against his neck, collarbone, and forehead.

“The scent is bothersome,” Haruka mumbles, as if he wasn’t cuddling with a stranger.   

“U-Um,” Nitori stammers. “W-Won’t your – w-what about – Alpha! You have an Alpha!”

Haruka pauses his ministrations to raise an eyebrow at the silver-haired boy. “Your point?”

Nitori’s voice is small as he whispers, “He won’t mind…you doing this?”

“I don’t care.” Haruka replies.

“You can’t just _not care_!” Nitori squeaks. “H-He’ll p-punish you!”

Haruka pauses but blinks and shrugs regardless. If Rin didn’t like it, than he should’ve already made rules about what Haruka isn’t allowed to do (there was already a rule – an unspoken one – about making sure to keep him away from water unless it’s the ocean or an actual pool since he’s prone to stripping in its’ vicinity). Besides, whilst the sadness is still there, slithering underneath Nitori’s scent, the smell has ebbed somewhat and no longer burns Haruka’s nose.

They stay in that position. It isn’t awkward, even though they’re virtually strangers, and Haruka finds comfort in the touch and weight since this is what Nagisa does to him on a daily basis. It’s only until the coffee maker in the kitchen starts whirring to life that Nitori deems it necessary to explain.

“We’re distantly related,” he whispers. “You and I. Something happened two days ago…and you and your parents are…all I have left.”

Haruka peers at the newest addition to his home. Nitori still smells absolutely horrible but his shoulders tense as if he’s carrying the weight of the world. Sorrow swims in his orbs and trickles down his face in fragments. Haruka embraces him tighter, a purr rumbling in his chest as he says, firmly, “You’re not alone anymore. You’re here. You’re safe. You’re _home_.”

And if Nitori starts sobbing against his shoulder, Haruka will speak nothing of it.

(when Haruka gets to school the next day, it only takes five seconds for Rin to crowd around him and scent out the smell of a foreign wolf. He growls, flashing dark eyes, silently demanding an explanation. Rei looks skittish, Nagisa has a knowing look on his face, and Gou and Makoto, both humans, don’t understand what’s so important.

“Nitori Aiichirō,” Haruka says as he’s backed up against the cherry blossom tree. He shifts into a more submissive pose and subtly melts at the way Rin is sniffing his neck. “He’s family.”

 _He’s pack,_ are the unspoken words.

Haruka tenses as the minutes tick by. Rei looks uninterested but Nagisa, Gou, and Makoto are practically bouncing on their heels at a new addition. Rin’s peers into his eyes, searching for something. It takes Rin ten minutes to reply.

“Next time,” Rin says slowly, eyes still dark and protective. “We all decide on who to bring into the pack, regardless if they’re family.”

Nagisa and Gou, predictably, cheer. Rei shifts his glasses like the pseudo-tsundere that he was, and Makoto smiles, calming. Rin rolls his eyes and Haruka is unimpressed by their responses).

Nitori assembles himself into the pack seamlessly. He’s skittish, of course, jumping and stuttering at the smallest of things but he’s getting better. He’s healing. Something, Nitori wakes the house with his screams during a nightmare and only Haruka is able to calm him down, and there are days where Nitori is too tired to move or when the boy gets that disconsolate echo in his orbs that make Haruka and Nagisa cuddle him until Nitori is drowning in their scent.

Their pack is growing and, even though they’re only eight or nine or ten (as is the case of Rin), the world is at their fingertips.

* * *

Yamazaki Sousuke is the next person to be introduced to their pack of seven. The only difference is that the ten-year-old is human. He enters (or re-enters, in Rin’s and Gou’s case) their life during the winter of their (as in, Haruka’s, Rin’s, and Makoto’s) final year of elementary school. With reasons the Matsuoka’s refused to speak about, Sousuke was crashing at their place for the time being.

 Nagisa being Nagisa persisted in peppering questions. It wasn’t until Rin flashed his dark eyes and spoke in that perilous, imperious tone that Nagisa quieted and asked other questions that were less prying – you know, after he was done cowering and whimpering behind Rei (not that Rei was much better, of course; it was clear to Haruka that the Beta was smothering his flinches because Rin could get really, _really_ terrifying when he wanted to, and it always made Haruka wonder about the future).

In all honesty, Haruka doesn’t know what to make of their new pack member but he does what he does best – keep quiet and observe. There’s a weight on Sousuke’s shoulders that’s similar to Nitori’s but Haruka doesn’t pry, doesn’t have the urge to know Sousuke inside out, but he does give the boy half his cupcake or quick, fleeting, comforting touches whenever he feels like the other’s scent is becoming too sour for his liking, and he quietly, subtly, lets Sousuke know that he was there for him.

 Sousuke’s silent nods allow Haruka to know that his efforts are appreciated.        

Life was moving on, shifting, changing, and the pack was growing, expanding. Nitori’s nightmares are slowly dwindling once Valentine’s Day approaches Iwatobi Elementary, and Sousuke isn’t as tense around his shoulders, and actually converses in a conversation besides monosyllabic replies and caveman social cues. All of them are healing, growing stronger, getting better.

 Of course, it only takes a single moment for Haruka’s world to crumble in pieces.

Haruka is ten-borderline-eleven when Gou calls him at midnight. His new cell phone (given to him by protective parents a few weeks before) buzzes annoyingly on his nightstand. Nitori is on the other side of his bed, quietly huffing in his sleep. Haruka grumbles but answers the phone, assuming it’s his parents disregarding time zones.

 _“Haruka-senpai!”_ Gou wails into his ear, sobbing through her words. _“It’s horrible – it’s absolutely – .”_

“What’s wrong, Gou?” Haruka questions. Nitori mumbles something incomprehensible in his sleep, rolling over on his side. “What happened?”

 _“This – this man came and – and he says he’s our Uncle and – and,”_ Gou tries to explain but she’s bursting into tears once more. Haruka hears Sousuke tell Gou to give him the phone, and soon the other boy says, _“Haruka, their Uncle saw your relay a few months ago – and, well, he’s taking Rin to Australia to train.”_

Haruka doesn’t respond. He doesn’t think. He doesn’t do anything except _feel_.

_Do you think we will always be together?_

According to Sugiyama, Haruka had passed out twelve minutes after he had received the news. He had woken up to his pack surrounding him – including Rin – as they were in, as Nagisa liked to call it, a “puppy pile”. He woke up to Nagisa’s foot against his abdomen, Rei’s hair tickling his ankles, and Rin’s breath hitting the back of his neck. His room was dark even though Haruka knew the sun was hovering over Iwatobi.

“This isn’t fair,” Gou grumbles. “He can’t _do this_ to us.”

“We need our Alpha,” Nitori adds quietly. “He can’t take Rin away.”

“They’re going to fix this,” Makoto assures them in his calm, soft way. “Sugiyama-sensei will tell Rin’s uncle why it’s a bad idea to take an Alpha away from his pack.”

They spend the rest of the day on Haruka’s bed, cuddling as their bonds stretch and breathe between them, reflecting their moods. The rest of the pack is hopeful that the other adults will be able to persuade Rin’s and Gou’s Uncle to another decision but Haruka knows that life rarely works out that way. It isn’t until Ms. Matsuoka calls for her three charges that Nagisa dares to whisper, “How far do you think a pack bond can stretch?”

No one wants to think about the answer.

* * *

Five weeks later – five _blissful weeks –_ , when school officially ends, Rin is whisked away on the first plane to Australia. Haruka is barricaded in his room, and he feels like he’s breaking, cracking, crumbling. His chest constricts at random intervals, making it hard to breathe, and a storm is wreaking havoc in his mind as his wolf sits on its heels and unleashes a long, sorrowful, mourning howl.

It takes his pack – _minus Rin, minus his Alpha –_ twelve days to coax him out of his room.

* * *

                                                                                                    

 Haruka grows quiet in Rin’s absence. He was always quiet before Rin barged into his life with his red hair and blazing eyes but he wasn’t as monotone and deadpan, he still held onto those slivers of emotion. Now, however, it was a miracle to get a response from him that wasn’t a yes, no, or maybe. His pack may not understand why he feels so despondent, as if he’s drowning in despair, but they can feel his emotions, feel his suffering, so they help when they can.

They crowd around him but they aren’t suffocating. They fuss over him but it isn’t overbearing. Although his blank face doesn’t give away much, the swish of his tail, the purrs from his chest, and the brief feelings of contentment are enough to let them know he appreciates their efforts. However, it isn’t the same because there’s something hollow in his chest, digging, searching, aching.

Time zones and practice schedules make it difficult to have long conversations with Rin. Sometimes there was barely enough time to say hello before someone was hollering at Rin in another language, presumably to hurry up the phone call. Haruka is the only one with a cellphone so there’s always instant messaging to soothe the agony distance creates. There’s also email but not everyone has access to a computer. The only thing they had left was to wait for the global mailing system.

Sugiyama has practically rented out Haruka’s guest room for the time being, increasingly concerned over the pack but Haruka especially, since he was taking Rin’s disappearance harder than the others. By the tight frown around the edges of Sugiyama’s mouth, Haruka knows that the elder Shifter understands what’s happening but the pack is decidedly too young to know, and understand, what’s going on.

It’s fine, Haruka thinks to himself one night as he peers at his reflection in the mirror. I’m fine, he assures. Everything is going to be okay, he thinks as he tries to remember how to breathe with an aching chest pounding in his ears.

He tells no one of how his wolf mourns as though Matsuoka Rin is dead.

Gou, Nitori, Rei, and Nagisa enter their last year of elementary school. Sousuke, Makoto, and Haruka find themselves amidst the swarming hurricane that is Iwatobi Junior High. He enters the school with two of his pack members by his side (though he’d really prefer Rin being there as well) but before he can sidetrack himself with spiraling thoughts of Rin settling in Australia, he’s greeted by a taller teenage boy with a bright smile and a hat.

“Mikoshiba Seijūrō,” he greets, lips pulled into a wide grin as he welcomes them to school. To Haruka, the male smells like fire and passion. “I’m a third year. Pleasure to meet you, firsties.”

Most importantly, Mikoshiba smells like a _wolf_.

Sousuke quips a small smirk as he says, “Yamazaki Sousuke.”

“Tachibana Makoto,” Makoto greets, eyes kind and warm. It’s obvious that Haruka won’t say a word since his thoughts are already beginning to muddle together and the almost tangible pain is starting to press against his ribcage. His wolf starts a low croon. “This is Nanase Haruka.”

Haruka barely manages to breathe a soft, “hello” between his lips before the pain becomes too much to bear. He should’ve convinced his parents to let him wallow in his bedroom but they were too concerned already, speaking in hushed, panicked tones to Sugiyama. He knows that the staff at Iwatobi Junior High has been made aware of his delicate state. It was the only reason why Makoto and Sousuke were able to be placed in his class indefinitely.

When Makoto is called by a classmate from elementary school, and Sousuke’s attention is pulled towards extracurricular activities, Haruka is left alone with the elusive, most-likely-a-wolf-shifter, Mikoshiba Seijūrō.

“Are you alright, little one?” Mikoshiba – _the Alpha_ – questions him softly, gently, as if Haruka was about to break.

Haruka blinks at him, remembering his best to remember how to _breathe_ , and shrugs. Mikoshiba narrows his eyes and Haruka hopes it doesn’t mean that the third year is angry at him – he’s been in the proximity of an angry Alpha, and Rin was exhausting enough when he wasn’t pissed off. “I’m not mad at you,” Mikoshiba soothes, and somehow Haruka feels his agitated mood lower. “Are you sure you’re alright? If you’re not comfortable talking to me, I can get some of my Omega friends.”

Haruka peers at Mikoshiba with unblinking, deadpan orbs. He can sense the air around Mikoshiba startle. “Alpha?” Haruka asks though it’s more of a statement than a question.

Mikoshiba’s grin widens, if that was even possible. “Yup. Oldest Alpha in the school so if you have any trouble, let me know, okay?”

 _I already have Rin,_ Haruka thinks but it’s a moot point now. Rin was gone. Rin was thousands of miles away. Rin was—

Makoto was at his shoulder immediately, gently touching his shoulder, and asking, quietly, with Sousuke shielding them from curious stares, “Haru-chan? Haru-chan, do you want to go home?”

With trembling shoulders, it takes all of Haruka’s energy to respond.

 _“Yes.”_ He says, pleading.

* * *

 

_New Message!_

_From: Rin_

_Subj:_

_Haru, something’s wrong. I feel such depressed waves coming off of you from the bond. Are you alright? Don’t worry, I’ll try and convince my uncle to let me come home for the holidays, okay? Everything is going to fine, Haruka. I promise. tell the others this, too. I’ll be coming back for good before you know it._

* * *

 

Haruka’s classmates gape and gawk. They peer at him as if he were an exhibit, solely existing for their entertainment. They stare at his emotionless face. They stare at his eyes, at his hair, at the way he glides through the water (because swimming is the only way, _the only way,_ Haruka can physically connect to Rin). They stare at his tail and at his ears. Sometimes they stare at the way Sousuke shields him from their eyes or because Makoto answers for him, as if instinctively knowing what Haruka means.

No one asks him about it though – not after they witnessed Haruka in a full blown panic attack during a break in history when someone asked him innocently, _why are you so sad, Nanase-san? Is it because you don’t have an Alpha?_

Sousuke, Gou, and Makoto try their best to understand. Their parents try their best to understand. But they were only human. They weren’t Shifters. They don’t feel the burning pain that spirals in Haruka’s chest because of the distance between him and Rin. They can’t hear his wolf howling in grief in the back of his head. They don’t notice that his trembling limbs aren’t always from anxiety. Rei, Nitori, and Nagisa understand because they’re Shifters – and Nitori and Nagisa are Omegas as well.

Sometimes the pain becomes too sharp for them too, and all four of them pile on Haruka’s bed to try and diminish the anguish, breathing in each other’s scents and comforting breaths.

Mikoshiba is persistent, buzzing around Haruka whenever Sousuke or Makoto weren’t near him. The third year peppers him with gentle but prying questions and concern shining in his eyes. Haruka barely replies but having another Alpha around him does make the weight pressing down on his shoulders loosen – even if it does feel as though he’s betraying Rin.

One day during lunch, when Sousuke had to do tutoring and Makoto was wrangled into a meeting with the student council, Haruka finds himself on the roof. It’s calming and quiet, and he’s able to relax and unwind after another stressful day of trying to avoid thinking of R—

“Hi!” greets a bubbly voice. Whoever it was smelled like crisp apples and cherries. 

Haruka blinks, peering at a boy around his age with – pink hair, of all things. Of course, Haruka immediately takes note of the ears and the swishing, excited tail.

“I’m Shinigo Kisumi!” the boy says, unperturbed by Haruka’s blank stare. “You’re Nanase Haruka, yes?”

Haruka nods. “Yes.”

“I sit behind you!” Kisumi continues and plops down next to Haruka as if he was invited. “You smell really, really horrible, Nanase-kun. Did you know that?”

Haruka freezes. _I don’t care. You smell horrible._

_Do you think we’ll always be together?_

“We’re the only Shifters in our classroom,” Kisumi says, pouting. His eyes brighten as he leans towards Haruka, vibrant and lively. Passionate and wild, just like R—. “There you go. There’s that face,” Kisumi says, an unfathomable look in his eyes.

Haruka stares. “Face?”

Kisumi nods. “You think about something and then you get that look – as if you were in unimaginable pain. I’ve seen that look before.”

Haruka hums. He has no interest in hearing a story about a Shifter he’s never known. He peers at the clouds and wonders if R—

“Your Alpha is gone, isn’t he, Nanase-kun?”

After calming down from the subsequent panic attack, Haruka avoids Kisumi. He ignores the knowing, yet gentle, look in Kisumi’s eyes, ignores the little notes and grins of encouragement, ignores everything and anything to deal with Kisumi Shinigo.

It’s too painful, the way the distance is making him feel.

Haruka knows he’s drowning. He understands that he isn’t healing.

He just wants his Alpha back. He just wants the pain and the howls to cease.

_Do you think we'll always be together?_

* * *

 

“You’re old enough, Haru-kun,” Sugiyama tells him one afternoon. They two of them are in the backyard whilst Nitori and Nagisa help his grandmother bake her infamous cookies. Sugiyama peers into his eyes and asks, “Do you know what mates are in Wolf-Shifter culture?”

Haruka shakes his head.

Sugiyama exhales but gathers his courage and explains. Haruka listens dutifully, tries to ignore the howling in his head, but knows that his world is changing, shifting with this information. Suddenly, everything is beginning to make sense.

* * *

 

The summer before Haruka’s second year in junior high, his parents get more opportunities abroad for their jobs. Soon, his grandmother is making herself at home. Soon, Sugiyama becomes a more permanent fissure in Haruka’s hallways.

Surprisingly, on June 19th, Gou and Sousuke go through the Inheritance. Gou has the same colored fur as Rin’s, and sometimes Haruka can’t bear the searing pain looking at her. She understands completely now, the pain of Rin being gone. Sousuke has fur as dark as Haruka’s.

Makoto Inherits three days after, coming out with shining brown fur and the same kind disposition.

Gou and Makoto are Betas. Sousuke is an Alpha.

The agony in Haruka’s chest recedes a bit as Sousuke takes up the position of Alpha of their little pack. “It’s only temporary,” he tells them, more so to Haruka than the others. Because, now, everyone can feel how much Rin leaving affects him. “I’m only staying in charge until Rin comes back. _And he will come back_.”

He will.

Rin will come back. (Haruka counts the days). 

* * *

 

_Do you think we’ll always be together?_

* * *

 

The pack is in high school when Gou gets the phone call during lunch. All of them are attending Iwatobi High, and they’d even restarted the swim team due to Nagisa’s persistent nagging and whines. Nitori was with Sousuke in Samezuka Academy because Nitori’s family went there, and Sousuke was adamant on not leaving the Omega to fend for himself.

Haruka suspected there were other reasons ( _mates,_ his wolf grumbles) but he never said a word.

Gou struggles with her phone but answers. “Hello?” she says. “Matsuoka Gou, speaking.”

Haruka doesn’t eavesdrop. He picks at his mackerel, tries not to think of how many years it’s been since he’s—Gou’s sharp intake of breath halts all conversation around them. Her lips tremble, her eyes sparkle with unshed tears, and her face shows a sort of desperation, as she whispers, “Onii-chan?”

 _“Yeah, it’s me,”_ Rin replies. There is a ball in Haruka’s throat as he trembles. His wolf whimpers and whines. God, Rin’s voice got deep. _“Listen_ _—,”_

“Are you staying, Rin-chan?!” Nagisa busts into the conversation, interrupting the Alpha. “Please tell me you’re not leaving again!”

Rin laughs, booming voice over the receiver. _“Don’t worry, Nagisa. I managed to wrangle a deal with my Uncle – a contract and everything. I can stay here if I attend a prestigious academy for swimming. So, as I was saying, what school are you attending, Gou?”_

“It’s Kou,” Gou tells him, like she tells everyone else who doesn’t use her modernized name. “We’re at Iwatobi but Nitori and Sousuke are in Samezuka.”

 _“I see,”_ Rin says.

Haruka wants to feel as if he’s drowning but he’s not. He’s swimming, swimming towards the shore, towards fresh air, towards _Rin_.

 _“Tell Haru,”_ Rin says, taking a deep breath as if to grasp strength. _“Tell Haru I’ll be waiting for him at his house, okay?”_

“Okay,” Gou whispers because Haruka can’t speak at all. Rin hangs up the phone but Haruka can’t even close his bento. He’s on his feet, grabbing his bag, but Makoto has a grasp on his wrist. A wide beam is on his best friends’ face.

“Be careful, okay, Haru-chan?” Makoto tells him, uses a tone of voice that should’ve belonged on the face of an Alpha. Haruka nods anyway but his wolf is dancing in his head, yipping and barking in excitement. Rin was back. He was _here_. His Alpha was _waiting for him_. “You don’t want to get into an accident, alright?”

Haruka’s wolf quiets at the thought. Horror replaces the euphoria. Haru nods and promises, “I’ll be careful, Makoto. I promised. And drop the –chan,” he adds, reflexively. It’s the most he’s spoken in a while.

His pack watches him leave the grounds of the school and, from the rooftop, Nagisa cheers, “Go get ‘em, Haru-chan!”

Haruka makes it home safely and his nose latches onto the scent of home, cherry blossoms, and safety. _Pack._ His subconscious whispers.

 _Mate,_ his wolf says.                                                                                                                                          

Suddenly, Haruka is standing in front of Rin, his Alpha, drinking in all of the changes. Rin was taller, more lean and muscled. His hair was still the same length, he had the same eyes, same ears, same tail, same fur color. He was still Rin. He was still his Alpha.

“Haru…” Rin blinks, as if unable to speak.

That’s fine with Haruka, who grasps his Alpha into a tight hug that how his desperation, his grief, his hurt. He wasn’t one for talking anyway.

They wind up in Haruka’s bed, cuddling, scenting one another, trying to ease each other’s pain. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to come back,” Rin murmurs against his neck. “I tried so hard to see you, all of you, but I had to get faster, I had to _be_ faster. There was no exception. Never an exception. Damn, I hate that bastard of an uncle.”

“Shh,” Haruka whispers, smelling the hurt that wafts off of Rin’s skin like perfume. “You’re here. You’re safe. You’re home.”

“I am,” Rin agrees, tightening his hold on Haruka’s waist.

“Don’t leave,” Haruka says but really means, _don’t leave me._

“I won’t,” Rin promises, swears. “I will rip out his throat if he tries to take me away again. I won’t leave. I promise, Haru. I promise.”

_Do you think we’ll always be together?_

 

**Author's Note:**

> The ending is a bit rushed for my tastes but I hope you all enjoyed it!


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